Report: iiyama To Offer Free FreeSync Upgrade For 28" 4K Monitor

[N.Broekhuijsen]

If you've been waiting to buy a FreeSync-enabled monitor, you may not need to wait anymore. Iiyama may enable it on an existing monitor with a free firmware upgrade.

Report: iiyama To Offer Free FreeSync Upgrade For 28" 4K Monitor : Read more

 

[ShadyHamster]

If it's just a firmware upgrade why not just make it available to the public to download and install themselves. My guess is it's more then a firmware upgrade, possible hardware upgrade too?

 

[IInuyasha74]

I was thinking that too, seems like shipping and doing all this in the company is a lot more expensive and time consuming than just a firmware update and installing by a USB port or something. Could be they have to solder off a chip and replace it with a different one in order to make it work.

 

[childofthekorn]

If it's just a firmware upgrade why not just make it available to the public to download and install themselves. My guess is it's more then a firmware upgrade, possible hardware upgrade too?

They would already have at least DisplayPort 1.2a with the appropriate scalers so the hardware would be fine. The firmware would just allow the scalers to communicate with the video card in order to sync the frames as far as I can tell. There is some differences in hardware for monitors that use display port prior to 1.2A+ and those that use 1.2a but do not support freesync.

 

[Bondfc11]

It will require a new AD PCB - not just a firmware update. If it had the right scalar now then there would be no reason to update the scalar - the appropriate software would be there and waiting for AMDs side of things. Async, if properly built into the board, would be ready to go. The only part that no one has seen before is the current vaporware - Freesync. AMD has never actually shown variable refresh tech on anything to date. Async is reality, and has been for quite a while now, but the GPU software side is still no where to be seen.

Still waiting on a working monitor. I assume we will see a bunch next month at CES. And I hope they are true variable rates - not the crap from last year.

 

[InvalidError]

If it's just a firmware upgrade why not just make it available to the public to download and install themselves. My guess is it's more then a firmware upgrade, possible hardware upgrade too?

Most monitors have no method for the PC to send a firmware update: display identification is often done by an EDID EEPROM which has no data connection to the rest of the display, the built-in USB hub is often an isolated module as well with no connection to the display controller either, and I doubt GPUs have support to stream firmware data over the pixel stream.

The reason the displays have to be sent in for upgrade is most likely because the display has to be opened up to access the display controller board's JTAG/ISP headers. Most people would have no clue how to do that nor have the necessary JTAG/ISP programmer. Depending on how the display is put together, removing the front bezel to pop the LCD out may also be nearly impossible without breaking tabs. No point in going through the trouble of making the firmware field-upgradable when the vast majority of displays will never need a firmware update in their lifespan and this also eliminates the possibility of malware infestation.

How often have you heard of firmware upgrades for non-smart displays?

 

[TechyInAZ]

Cool, is it available in the U.S?

 

[clonazepam]

Cool, is it available in the U.S?

I assume you would like one of these after its been updated, otherwise you'd be mailing it to maybe the Netherlends, Germany, Poland, or Japan.

I'm going to just assume that by the time this product makes it to the states, if it ever does, there will be plenty more products available, and competitively priced *crossing fingers*

 

[InvalidError]

I'm going to just assume that by the time this product makes it to the states, if it ever does, there will be plenty more products available, and competitively priced *crossing fingers*

And many of those will probably be exactly the same products already on people's desks except for the updated firmware and model number.

 

[renz496]

If it's just a firmware upgrade why not just make it available to the public to download and install themselves. My guess is it's more then a firmware upgrade, possible hardware upgrade too?

THIS. also the shipping cost for the upgrade will be on consumer side. to me this is just a marketing tactic to make sure people buy monitors from them.

 

[Ninjawithagun]

Um fellas, do the math before jumping for joy. The Acer XB280HK is a 4K GSYNC enabled monitor that currently sells for $599 ($549 when it was on sale during Black Friday). The IIYAMA Prolite B2888UHSU 4K Freesync monitor cost is 389.99 GBP...which equals $605 (at today's exchange rate). Soooooo, not really any better of a deal than the GSYNC counterpart. Chances are the XB280HK will drop at least $100 when the IIYAMA becomes available in the US. And the warranty offered by Acer is way better than anything from IIYAMA. Have fun shipping the IIYAMA off for repairs in Japan. The Acer XB280HK can be serviced and repaired as needed in the United States. That is all. Have a nice day!

 

[renz496]

I'm going to just assume that by the time this product makes it to the states, if it ever does, there will be plenty more products available, and competitively priced *crossing fingers*

And many of those will probably be exactly the same products already on people's desks except for the updated firmware and model number.

you know what is the best part about this? despite AMD able to show the prototype back in june/july (the monitors they claim freesync/adaptive sync capable with firmware upgrade) they still not showing FreeSync real games. back then with the new windmill demo they only show how smooth it was but they did not show at what frame rate it was running. did it constantly moving with variable frame rates? despite haven't show freesync running real games AMD already parade around saying their solution will be better than nvidia G-Sync (they say there are overhead in G-Sync implentation because of the G-Sync module). will be interesting to see what AMD can show in CES in few days.

 

[renz496]

If it's just a firmware upgrade why not just make it available to the public to download and install themselves. My guess is it's more then a firmware upgrade, possible hardware upgrade too?

They would already have at least DisplayPort 1.2a with the appropriate scalers so the hardware would be fine. The firmware would just allow the scalers to communicate with the video card in order to sync the frames as far as I can tell. There is some differences in hardware for monitors that use display port prior to 1.2A+ and those that use 1.2a but do not support freesync.

isn't that AMD says that the monitor doesn't need to communicate with GPU for freesync to work? because the communication between the two considered as overhead. they said that's why their solution is superior to nvidia G-Sync because in G-Sync implementation both monitor and GPU need to communicate to each other.

http://support.amd.com/en-us/search/faq/220#

There are three key advantages Project FreeSync holds over G-Sync: no licensing fees for adoption, no expensive or proprietary hardware modules, and no communication overhead.
The last benefit is essential to gamers, as Project FreeSync does not need to poll or wait on the display in order to determine when it’s safe to send the next frame to the monitor.
Project FreeSync uses industry-standard DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync protocols to pre-negotiate supported min/max refresh rates during plug’n’play, which means frame presentation to the user will never be delayed or impaired by time-consuming two-way handshakes

 

[InvalidError]

The Acer XB280HK is a 4K GSYNC enabled monitor that currently sells for $599 ($549 when it was on sale during Black Friday).

Really?
http://www.amazon.com/Acer-XB280HK-bprz-28-inch-Widescreen/dp/B00O0Z5682
http://www.ncix.com/detail/acer-xb280hk-bprz-28in-4k2k-ce-103792-1301.htm
http://pricespy.co.uk/product.php?p=2671517

All the prices I am seeing point towards $800+ USD.

 

[Bondfc11]

He was incorrect and quoted pricing for the non-Gsync model. Nice try though!

 

[Sakkura]

Um fellas, do the math before jumping for joy. The Acer XB280HK is a 4K GSYNC enabled monitor that currently sells for $599 ($549 when it was on sale during Black Friday). The IIYAMA Prolite B2888UHSU 4K Freesync monitor cost is 389.99 GBP...which equals $605 (at today's exchange rate). Soooooo, not really any better of a deal than the GSYNC counterpart. Chances are the XB280HK will drop at least $100 when the IIYAMA becomes available in the US. And the warranty offered by Acer is way better than anything from IIYAMA. Have fun shipping the IIYAMA off for repairs in Japan. The Acer XB280HK can be serviced and repaired as needed in the United States. That is all. Have a nice day!

Not only are you wrong about the pricing of that Acer monitor, you're also wrong about the pricing of the Iiyama monitor. The £390 price tag includes VAT. Without VAT, the price would be £325. That's about $500.

 

[childofthekorn]

Um fellas, do the math before jumping for joy. The Acer XB280HK is a 4K GSYNC enabled monitor that currently sells for $599 ($549 when it was on sale during Black Friday). The IIYAMA Prolite B2888UHSU 4K Freesync monitor cost is 389.99 GBP...which equals $605 (at today's exchange rate). Soooooo, not really any better of a deal than the GSYNC counterpart. Chances are the XB280HK will drop at least $100 when the IIYAMA becomes available in the US. And the warranty offered by Acer is way better than anything from IIYAMA. Have fun shipping the IIYAMA off for repairs in Japan. The Acer XB280HK can be serviced and repaired as needed in the United States. That is all. Have a nice day!

I see the Acer you're comparing it to on newegg for $800 (minus $100 because its on sale; $900 monitor). Still good 'savings'.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009658

 

[childofthekorn]

If it's just a firmware upgrade why not just make it available to the public to download and install themselves. My guess is it's more then a firmware upgrade, possible hardware upgrade too?

They would already have at least DisplayPort 1.2a with the appropriate scalers so the hardware would be fine. The firmware would just allow the scalers to communicate with the video card in order to sync the frames as far as I can tell. There is some differences in hardware for monitors that use display port prior to 1.2A+ and those that use 1.2a but do not support freesync.

isn't that AMD says that the monitor doesn't need to communicate with GPU for freesync to work? because the communication between the two considered as overhead. they said that's why their solution is superior to nvidia G-Sync because in G-Sync implementation both monitor and GPU need to communicate to each other.

http://support.amd.com/en-us/search/faq/220#

There are three key advantages Project FreeSync holds over G-Sync: no licensing fees for adoption, no expensive or proprietary hardware modules, and no communication overhead.
The last benefit is essential to gamers, as Project FreeSync does not need to poll or wait on the display in order to determine when it’s safe to send the next frame to the monitor.
Project FreeSync uses industry-standard DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync protocols to pre-negotiate supported min/max refresh rates during plug’n’play, which means frame presentation to the user will never be delayed or impaired by time-consuming two-way handshakes

I'm no monitor guru but I've heard the updated scalers being required is a necessity for firmware update types regarding freesync. If the scaler doesn't have anything to do wtih it, or when freesync is in use is able to step aside, would all scalers be able to understand this?

*EDIT* Just checked the AMD Faq and they have this nice tidbit

The last benefit is essential to gamers, as Project FreeSync does not need to poll or wait on the display in order to determine when it’s safe to send the next frame to the monitor.

My understanding is that there is no way the monitor would be unable to communicate with the GPU and still show a picture that PC is attempting to push. The overhead is reduced by synchronizing the amount of frames being generated by the GPU and delivering to the monitor Scalers to be displayed on the monitor. Instead of the GPU sending a ton of frames to the monitor and only certain ones being picked up/dropped (tearing) its able to properly synchronize every frame.

Still learning how the monitors interact with the GPU however, so the portions with "Scalers" is still work in progress as far as my explanation is concerned.

 

[childofthekorn]

Cool, is it available in the U.S?

I assume you would like one of these after its been updated, otherwise you'd be mailing it to maybe the Netherlends, Germany, Poland, or Japan.

I'm going to just assume that by the time this product makes it to the states, if it ever does, there will be plenty more products available, and competitively priced *crossing fingers*

From my understanding some high end displays (Benq 2420z as an example if I remember correctly) do allow manual firmware updates. I do not know how mainstream it is as I rarely update my monitor, but I'd personally like to see this become the standard. \

*EDIT* researched a bit and found it was BenQ z series although the model number may have changed. However you do need a separate module in order to properly install firmware, at least for these models. http://www.blurbusters.com/benq/diy-firmware-upgrade-for-benq-z-series/

 

[renz496]

If it's just a firmware upgrade why not just make it available to the public to download and install themselves. My guess is it's more then a firmware upgrade, possible hardware upgrade too?

They would already have at least DisplayPort 1.2a with the appropriate scalers so the hardware would be fine. The firmware would just allow the scalers to communicate with the video card in order to sync the frames as far as I can tell. There is some differences in hardware for monitors that use display port prior to 1.2A+ and those that use 1.2a but do not support freesync.

isn't that AMD says that the monitor doesn't need to communicate with GPU for freesync to work? because the communication between the two considered as overhead. they said that's why their solution is superior to nvidia G-Sync because in G-Sync implementation both monitor and GPU need to communicate to each other.

http://support.amd.com/en-us/search/faq/220#

There are three key advantages Project FreeSync holds over G-Sync: no licensing fees for adoption, no expensive or proprietary hardware modules, and no communication overhead.
The last benefit is essential to gamers, as Project FreeSync does not need to poll or wait on the display in order to determine when it’s safe to send the next frame to the monitor.
Project FreeSync uses industry-standard DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync protocols to pre-negotiate supported min/max refresh rates during plug’n’play, which means frame presentation to the user will never be delayed or impaired by time-consuming two-way handshakes

I'm no monitor guru but I've heard the updated scalers being required is a necessity for firmware update types regarding freesync. If the scaler doesn't have anything to do wtih it, or when freesync is in use is able to step aside, would all scalers be able to understand this?

we will know for sure when adaptive sync monitors in real action. but if you follow freesync from the very beginning you'll aware that a few things has changes since AMD first come up with their FreeSync concept. so don't be surprise if the implementation between the two will be quite similar despite what AMD has claim.

 

[childofthekorn]

BTW Toms, when can we expect to see this or any monitor in action for a 3rd party review comparing gsync and freesync?

 

[renz496]

AMD says there will be demo of freesync in CES. hopefully AMD can at least provide the hardware (both monitor and card) as early as january so tech sites can review adaptive sync/freesync VS GSync soon without need to wait for mass availability of adaptive sync monitor on the market.

 

[soldier44]

Make it 32" and IPS, otherwise no thanks.

 

[childofthekorn]

If it's just a firmware upgrade why not just make it available to the public to download and install themselves. My guess is it's more then a firmware upgrade, possible hardware upgrade too?

They would already have at least DisplayPort 1.2a with the appropriate scalers so the hardware would be fine. The firmware would just allow the scalers to communicate with the video card in order to sync the frames as far as I can tell. There is some differences in hardware for monitors that use display port prior to 1.2A+ and those that use 1.2a but do not support freesync.

isn't that AMD says that the monitor doesn't need to communicate with GPU for freesync to work? because the communication between the two considered as overhead. they said that's why their solution is superior to nvidia G-Sync because in G-Sync implementation both monitor and GPU need to communicate to each other.

http://support.amd.com/en-us/search/faq/220#

There are three key advantages Project FreeSync holds over G-Sync: no licensing fees for adoption, no expensive or proprietary hardware modules, and no communication overhead.
The last benefit is essential to gamers, as Project FreeSync does not need to poll or wait on the display in order to determine when it’s safe to send the next frame to the monitor.
Project FreeSync uses industry-standard DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync protocols to pre-negotiate supported min/max refresh rates during plug’n’play, which means frame presentation to the user will never be delayed or impaired by time-consuming two-way handshakes

I'm no monitor guru but I've heard the updated scalers being required is a necessity for firmware update types regarding freesync. If the scaler doesn't have anything to do wtih it, or when freesync is in use is able to step aside, would all scalers be able to understand this?

we will know for sure when adaptive sync monitors in real action. but if you follow freesync from the very beginning you'll aware that a few things has changes since AMD first come up with their FreeSync concept. so don't be surprise if the implementation between the two will be quite similar despite what AMD has claim.

I did edit my original comment but basically it sounds like FreeSync has a negotiated speed, which is determined upon the monitors connection, at which the GPU will send the max frames the monitor can support. Its almost like networking. UDP has far less overhead than TCP (unicast) as no handshakes occur. It doesn't mean the NIC would no longer handle the traffic but that there's less involved (in regards to the GPU needing to make sure the monitor displayed the frame it was sent). The scalers do play a part as AMD had to work with scaler vendors to incorporate FreeSync as a standard, I'm just now delving into what part that may be.

 

[childofthekorn]

If it's just a firmware upgrade why not just make it available to the public to download and install themselves. My guess is it's more then a firmware upgrade, possible hardware upgrade too?

They would already have at least DisplayPort 1.2a with the appropriate scalers so the hardware would be fine. The firmware would just allow the scalers to communicate with the video card in order to sync the frames as far as I can tell. There is some differences in hardware for monitors that use display port prior to 1.2A+ and those that use 1.2a but do not support freesync.

isn't that AMD says that the monitor doesn't need to communicate with GPU for freesync to work? because the communication between the two considered as overhead. they said that's why their solution is superior to nvidia G-Sync because in G-Sync implementation both monitor and GPU need to communicate to each other.

http://support.amd.com/en-us/search/faq/220#

There are three key advantages Project FreeSync holds over G-Sync: no licensing fees for adoption, no expensive or proprietary hardware modules, and no communication overhead.
The last benefit is essential to gamers, as Project FreeSync does not need to poll or wait on the display in order to determine when it’s safe to send the next frame to the monitor.
Project FreeSync uses industry-standard DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync protocols to pre-negotiate supported min/max refresh rates during plug’n’play, which means frame presentation to the user will never be delayed or impaired by time-consuming two-way handshakes

I'm no monitor guru but I've heard the updated scalers being required is a necessity for firmware update types regarding freesync. If the scaler doesn't have anything to do wtih it, or when freesync is in use is able to step aside, would all scalers be able to understand this?

we will know for sure when adaptive sync monitors in real action. but if you follow freesync from the very beginning you'll aware that a few things has changes since AMD first come up with their FreeSync concept. so don't be surprise if the implementation between the two will be quite similar despite what AMD has claim.

I did edit my original comment but basically it sounds like FreeSync has a negotiated speed, which is determined upon the monitors connection, at which the GPU will send the max frames the monitor can support/max gpu can send. Its almost like networking. UDP has far less overhead than TCP (unicast) as no handshakes occur. It doesn't mean the NIC would no longer handle the traffic but that there's less involved (in regards to the GPU needing to make sure the monitor displayed the frame it was sent). The scalers do play a part as AMD had to work with scaler vendors to incorporate FreeSync as a standard, I'm just now delving into what part that may be.